The Dragon and the Lotus by Joseph Robert Lewis

Author: Joseph Robert Lewis

Description: As a child in Kathmandu, Asha was bitten by a dragon and gained the ability to hear the souls of all living things. Years later in India, she uses her strange gift and her training as an herbalist to save people possessed by ghosts, poisoned by legendary beasts, and tortured by the cruel doctors of Ming. And to fight the occasional bear or tiger, of course.

With the help of a beautiful blind nun and a sleepy little mongoose, Asha confronts both victims and predators, including the man who stole her childhood and killed her lover. But when she journeys into the west, Asha discovers that there are fates worse than death and there are human monsters that can only be defeated by a woman with the strength of a dragon. (From the author's web site.)

What I think:

This book takes us to interesting places, interesting time, and interesting alternative reality. For people sitting at home (I mean the country we leave in) almost all the time, Asia itself is an exotic location. I like to learn about foreign cultures and people. This version of the alternative Asia even more exciting.

The book consists of separate stories about Asha and Priya wandering through the land to heal people. First I was not comfortable with reading the separate stories, they seemed not connected, except that they were adventures of the two women, of course. But later there came the connections, references to experiences in the previous chapters, memories of past events, returning characters. And finally the book became a complete story.

Dragons are always compelling. They are big, dangerous (at least most of the time), dreadful, it seems impossible to defeat them. It is also the case with the one in this story, and the way it is defeated is very interesting.

This whole soul-hearing thing is amazing. The way Asha hears the "sound" of living souls is well worked out. During their journey, the two women met with people with very strange illnesses, and Asha had to find cures unheard of.

There is one thing I should mention what I didn't like: I found the dangerous acts short. The reader usually eager to get to the point, and to know what happens, yes. But before the climax, the reader loves to be delayed, and bite the nails in suspense what happens next. So I would like to fidget a little more before the victory comes.

Rating: four stars.

Jewels by Lakisha Spletzer

Author: Latisha Spletzer

Description: "Special Lieutenant Jewels Enbran, a human telepath unable to shield her mind from thoughts, uses telepathic anchors who protect her vulnerable mind. Her current anchor, Colonel Jeremy Lingley, is nearing burnout. An alien race is seeking an alliance with Earth and the pair are assigned the mission of discovering the aliens' secrets.

Crown Prince Dex LoudRoar is a Gatoan warrior and a royal with a terrible secret. His people wage a constant war against their enemy, the Lupinious empire. But the tide of battle is turning and his people seek help from a new source: the humans of Earth.

With an interstellar war looming, Jewels and Dex seek salvation for their planets and find their destinies changed forever." (Amazon)

What I think

I discovered the Adopt an Indie website, and I thought I gave it a shot. I love science fiction, so I picked up this book. Attention: spoilers.

First, I must say I expected a science-fiction story. Telepaths, aliens, warriors, space war - what else it could be? Actually it is more. It is a paranormal romance science-fiction book. Yes, there are telepathy involved, but in a higher level than just "talking with your mind". Yes, there are aliens in the book, though it is funny that cat-like aliens fight with dog-like ones. And yes, there are space ships and war, though that part could last longer for my taste.

Being a man, I'm not expert in romance (didn't I say this earlier?), but as far as I can tell, the romance worked just fine. At the end, I believed that the human woman fell in love with the cat prince, and their love and desire became fulfilled.

I liked that the telepathy was taken to a higher level. Those characters possessing this ability, not only communicated with each other, but could apply bigger mental forces. I found the mental shielding mate role interesting.

I missed some more sci-fi, though. But I know it's just me, being science-fiction fan.

There is one thing I should mention: there were too much telling instead of showing. I would have appreciated more showing during action, it would make the book more dynamic and enjoyable.

My rating: I give three stars. This is just because I'm fan of pure sci-fi. If you like romance and paranormal stories more, you may give it better rating.

The Brass Verdict - Michael Connelly

Author: Michael Connelly (please put some content on the Home page, Mr Conelly!)

Description: From the Author's site: "Things are finally looking up for defense attorney Mickey Haller. After two years of wrong turns, Haller is ready to go back to the courtroom. When Hollywood lawyer Jerry Vincent is murdered, Haller inherits his biggest case yet: the defense of Walter Elliott, a prominent studio executive accused of murdering his wife and her lover. But as Haller prepares for the case that could launch him into the big time, he learns that Vincent’s killer may be coming for him next.

Enter LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. Determined to find Vincent’s killer, he is not opposed to using Haller as bait. But as danger mounts and the stakes rise, these two loners realize their only choice is to work together."

What I think

I watch thrillers about lawyers and court every now and then, some of them are really good. I liked the Runaway Jury, though, not being American, and really unfamiliar with jurisdiction practices, I could hardly follow the jury selection part. But now I know what happened, because I have red The Brass Verdict, and it explained the process in details. Which was not boring at all, if you might think. Besides that, there are plenty of other details about the judiciary processes and work, really well integrated into the story, without being too educative.

If you are into very fast paced action with dead bodies on every second page, then this book is not for you. But if you enjoy suspense built page by page, I recommend this novel. The characters are alive, well drawn, likable. The narrative and the dialogues are well written. The story unfolds in a good rhythm. Sometimes I found out the next step by myself, but later it turned out that something entirely else was at stake, and the story took a twist. And there is a twist at the end, you can bet.

My rating: five stars, it was a pleasure.

Divine Intervention

Author: Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Description from Amazon: "CFBI agent Jasmine McLellan leads a psychically gifted team in the hunt for a serial arsonist--a murderer who has already taken the lives of three people. Jasi and her team members--Psychometric Empath and profiler Ben Roberst and Victim Empath Natassia Prushenko--are joined by Brandon Walsh, the handsome but skeptical Chief of Arson Investigations. In a manhunt that takes them from Vancouver to Kelowna, Penticton and Victoria, they are led down a twisting path of sinister secrets. Sifting through ashes and clues, Jasi realizes that there is more to the third victim than meets the eye. Perhaps not all the victims were that innocent. The hunt intensifies when she learns that someone they know is next on the arsonist's list. Unleashing her gift as a Pyro-Psychic, Jasi is compelled toward smoldering ashes and enters the killer's mind--a mind bent on destruction and revenge. And in the heat of early summer, Jasi discovers that a murderer lies in wait...much closer than she ever imagined.

What I think

Where should I start? I was thinking whether it was a paranormal, a romance or a thriller story. Or all together. The CFBI agents had paranormal abilities, and the way they used their gifts and made contact to the paranormal dimensions was interesting in itself. Some investigators would give anything to be able to sense, feel and see how the crime happened, just by touching objects of the crime scene. It would revolutionize the investigation process.

I like thrillers, I like twists and turns, and I like suspense. I got these all in Divine Intervention. As the story unfolds, the team is trying to catch an arsonist and killer. Soon they realise that they are after the wrong person. The team discovers the awful series of events that led to the murder they were investigating.
There was an exciting chase at the end (I could enjoy some more in the book), almost costing the life of McLellan. And there was a real twist at the end, the killer was somebody not expected. I had a small problem with that, though: there should have been some clues along the story, so it would not feel somewhat like deus ex machina.

Being a sci-fi fan (and being a man), I'm not really into romance stories, so it may be only me, but the romance started strangely: Agent McLellan hated Walsh right when they met. Of course Walsh was assigned to the investigation, and they had the chance to argue with each other. I was confused when it turned to love. Ladies, if you read the book, please tell me if I'm wrong on this, and the turn was believable.
Anyway, they fell into love, but then McLellan turned down Walsh when he tried to make love with her. Not that I wanted a sex scene, but after the trouble they went through, they merited to have a good time together.
I liked the romance subplot between the other two agents, Prushenko and Roberts. Two grown ups, who like each other, discover that their feelings can be deeper than they thought, and give it a try.

I found the characterisation well done.

Format / Typo issues: There was an issue with the font size, smaller and bigger parts of the text were alternating, sometimes paragraph by paragraph.

My rating: I give three stars, because it was an OK read, but could be better.

The Simple Truth

Author: David Baldacci

Description: Rufus Harms is in prison, he was convicted 25 years ago of the killing a young girl. When he receives a letter from the army, everything turns upside down. The appeal he wants to submit to the Supremem Court disappears, and lawyers involved to find out the truth die. When Harms realises that he has no chance to win legally, he escapes and the hunting starts.

John Fiske is helping the police to investigate the murder of his brother, who visited Harms before his escape. As he discovers more and more clues, and with the help of Sara Evans, clerk at the Court, he gets closer to the truth, a conspiracy unfolds involving justices, ex soldiers and FBI agents. John finds out the secret, which doomed Harms to lifelong sentence.

What I think:

I do like a good thriller, especially with twists and turns. The first few pages of this book are so well written, that I found it promising. Reading further I was wondering if it was necessary to introduce so many characters in the beginning. Now I think it wasn't. Some of them could appear later, and the first part of the book could be better paced.

Baldacci kept the secret hidden until the crisis, which was supposed to give suspense. Actually I found it out at the half of the book, so the final bang was not so loud for me. But I liked the twist at the end, when the suspected bad guy turned out to be a good one, and vice versa.

While I was curious what happen next, the book was too long and sometimes too slow for my taste. The characters were OK, even there were an interesting family connection between the Fiske brothers and the parents.

If you have some free time to kill, it's an OK read, but there are plenty of better books out there.

My rating: three stars.

A painted house

Author: John Grisham

I have listened to the audio book version available at audible.com, narrated by Peter Marinker.

Description from Amazon: This novel is a story inspired from John Grisham's own childhood in Arkansas. The narrator is a farm boy named Luke Chandler, age seven, who lives in the cotton fields with his family in a little house that's never been painted. The Chandlers farm 80 acres, and when the cotton is ready they hire a truckload of Mexicans and a family from the Ozarks to help harvest it. For six weeks they pick cotton, battle the heat, the rain, the fatigue, and sometimes, each other. And, as the weeks pass, Luke sees and hears things no seven-year-old could possibly be prepared for.

My opinion:

Before I get to the details, I have to admit: this is my first Grisham novel. Sure I know his name, I have seen The Firm and The Pelican Brief. And the Runaway Jury, of course. But this was the first time I met him, I mean virtually, through his novel. He is a talented writer.

And before I get to the point, I have to make it clear: this book is not a thriller. At least not that fast paced one with dead bodies on every twentieth page.

So what do I think about Grisham's A Painted House? It is a very good book. Why? First, the characters are vibrant, alive, very well drawn. They are three dimensional, they have their hope, love and anger. Second, it is well written. The dialogues perfectly fit to the characters, everyone speaks in his/her own manners. The narration gives life to the story, and colours it.

The book has several layers. One is the life on an Arkansas farm in the fifties, that I found interesting (being European). Life without TV set and internet, silent evenings; the only entertainment is listening to the radio when the Cardinals plays. Life with harsh weather and hard work, always worrying about the crop.

The second layer is the small society, having its own slow lifestyle. In the town everyone knows everybody, and small events stir the still water of the provincial peace. And big things happen in this crop picking season, big enough to turn life upside down.

The third layer is that we see everything through the eye of the little Luke, seven years old boy. He sees and hears stuff he shouldn't. He is like other boy, always hanging around the adults, eavesdropping their conversations.

I liked the deep meaning of painting the house, which was never painted before. And I also liked the ending: leaving the old life behind in the hope of a better new one.

My rating: five stars. I know that the narration of Peter Marinker enhances the experience, so this rating goes for the audiobook in whole.

Writing Fiction for All You're Worth

Full title: Writing Fiction for All You're Worth: Strategies and Techniques for Taking Your Fiction to the Next Level

Author: James Scott Bell - he is also blogging at Kill Zone.

Description: WRITING FICTION FOR ALL YOUR WORTH contains the best of James Scott Bell's articles and blog posts on writing, easily searchable under these headings: The Writing World, The Writing Life, and The Writing Craft. You'll learn about the 6 critical success factors for bestselling fiction, how to write un-put-downable action scenes, and how to capture the interest of an agent. The keys to a dynamic opening page are revealed, and just as important, what NOT to do in the opening. There's plenty of inside information on what agents and editors say they're looking for and detailed instructions on how to write a stress free query. You'll learn what to put on your LAST page, when to use italics, how to write with courage. And a whole lot more.

My opinion:

First I found a little uncomfortable that the book is a series of earlier blog posts. (They may have been edited, may not, I didn't check it out.) But later I forgot about it because of the great content.

Usually I find a writing book worth the money if I learn something valuable from it. Well, I learned a lot of good stuff from Mr Bell. A few examples:

• I started to plan my writing time, and to stick to a weekly quota. I do it for a few weeks only, but in this way I managed to finish two short story drafts.


• I discovered that the first page of my first novel (still in the making) is not that bad.


• I will use the Bridge story structure in my second novel (once the first one will be finished).

I could continue the list, but I let you to discover the book. I really enjoyed the advices about the craft, and I liked the way James Scott Bell encouraged me to use them, build them into my writing practice, and benefit from them. Being a writer is a life of continuous learning, and the book pokes you to make efforts to grow and develop. Actually I made notes for myself in my notebook, so I have the essence of it always with me. (You know the drill: you should carry a notebook all the time with you to jot down new ideas.)

Here and there I found Mr Bell ranting about baseball, that I did not understand. (Sorry, my bad, I'm not really into it.) The author used these to lead up to the point about writing, so at the end of the day these real life examples were useful (if you play / follow baseball, I mean).

Format / Typo issues: none, of course.

My rating: five stars. The book merits it. A must read.

Red Smoke Rising

Author: Rick Anthony

Description: from Amazon:

Over a hundred years have passed since the invaders came to steal the drug, since Mia's homeland was occupied. Once they understood the drug's secrets, the Nor army was unstoppable, superhuman. Mia's people were overwhelmed and defeated - slaves in their own lands.

In the time that has passed, Mia and the Underground have stolen the drug, along with the knowledge of how to use it to create an army of their own. Now, the time has come for the resistance army of shapeshifters, Masters and Trademasters to stand against the Nor Empire and take back their homeland... before their chance is gone forever.

My opinion:

I'm not really into fantasy, at least lately. I have read quite a few in my teens, but later I was more interested in sci-fi. So I'm not a fantasy expert, but someone who wants to discover it. Red Smoke Rising is a good start, I can tell.

Fantasy books use different sources to explain how their magic works. In this book it is the drog called ku which makes possible shifting shapes, modifying material, augmenting human capabilities (and other magic) by altering the aura.

The story is about fighting over the possession of the drug. Who owns the ku, owns the magic, therefore owns the power. The story also about rebellion against oppression and fighting for liberty. The Nor empire took over the land of Muoro, and now it is the time for the slowly developing underground rebels to strike back and expel the powerful Myrmidon soldiers.

The book is fast paced, full of action, I liked that. I also liked that I met many kind of fantasy creatures like ogres, zombies, golems, werefolfs, trolls, even a minoatur and a dragon. The author gave explanations how they came into existence, and placed them in the story well. During the first two thirds of the story it was already interesting and entertaining, and in the third one it intensified and lead to a great battle of freedom. At that point I didn't to put it down until the last page.

Concerning the characters, I would have appreciated some more build up. There were some minor things out of place, related to how they reacted in certain situations, but overall, they fulfilled their roles in the story. They were likable, even Oni, the ogre, and I could identify with them.

Format / Typo issues: just a few punctuation errors, not disturbing.

My rating: I give it four stars. I certainly suggest it for reading.

Heirs of Mars

Author: Joseph R. Lewis, who has written several books, one of them is the Heirs of Mars.

Description: Let me quote Joseph (from his site):

Asher Radescu was the last human to come to Mars, but he didn’t find the romance and adventure he craved. Instead, he lives in a truck delivering supplies to frontier habs and secretly builds neural clones to keep civilization from collapsing. When an android bounty hunter discovers that Asher is one of the people responsible for the dangerous cloning technology, the entire population of Mars is threatened with annihilation. With the help of underground cloners, resurrected colonists, android defectors, and one gorgeous racing celebrity, Asher must end the first war on Mars before the violence consumes them all.

My opinion:

The science-fiction is always about what if. Heirs of Mars has three what ifs.
- What if there was a colony on Mars, people trying to survive in the grim living conditions?
- What if clones would be possible to create? Not the grow-from-human-cell type, but the transfer-human-personality-to-artificial-body type.
- What if it would be possible to give human spirit to machines?
Actually there is a fourth point to this:
- What if these all come together in Mars?

Each of these ideas are worth to write a book about, and their mixture adds another layer to the story. There are several conflicts of interest, which make the book more interesting. The population is dropping, and the only solution seems to be the cloning. The androids want to kill the cloners, because cloning technology threatens their existence. The clones are not like human copies, but more like plastic dolls, so not every colonist likes them. The clones' personality is created in similar way than the androids', so they are not so far from each other. Oh, and some androids sympathize with the humans.
Complicated? It is not so when reading the book.

The characters are rich, well drawn, I could easily empathize with them. Besides the human emotions, I found interesting to see inside of the dilemmas of clones and androids.

There is a lot of action, which makes the book a page turner.

There are two small issues I need to mention. In the beginning I was a little bit confused about who is who and who does what, but later it became clear. And I expected a higher level crisis at the end of the book instead of more, relatively smaller ones during it. (Maybe it's just me, affected by Hollywood scenes.)

Format / Typo issues: nothing worth to mention.

My rating: I give it four stars. I give five stars to books which leave me amazed, considering the story and how they are written. The Heirs of Mars almost made it. Definitely worth the money.